Have you ever wondered what it would be like to completely restore an old abandoned home? Well that's exactly what this sassy little southern woman is doing with a late 1800's Louisiana dog-trot. Follow along as I renovate my family's beloved historic home on a shoestring budget. Restoring a piece of American history doesn't have to be expensive, so long as you aren't afraid to use a little elbow grease.
Wanna get in touch with me? Email jacs(dot)lewis(at)yahoo (dot)com.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Elevation Renderings by LESTAR MARTIN

We met with Architect Lestar Martin last month, and he was very excited to show us the completed architectural renderings for THE HOUSE AT SUGAR CREEK. Here are a few of the elevation renderings... this should give you a thorough idea of what the ole' dog-trot will like like post-renovation. But before you scroll down to the fantastic renderings, let me once again say that Lestar Martin is a genius. He really is.

If you chose to restore a historic home, I cannot stress the importance of finding someone like Lestar to take a look at your home pre-restoration. Lestar went through THE HOUSE AT SUGAR CREEK with a fine tooth comb, and when he was finished he gave us details about the house that we could never have learned on our own. He worked to design a hidden staircase, to include closets with very little disturbance to the original walls, and he gave us so many money-saving suggestions for the renovation that he literally paid for his own services. And even more importantly, Lestar's excitement over the architectural significance of THE HOUSE AT SUGAR CREEK was positively uplifting. He told us at least a dozen times, "There's no way you can be as excited about this house as I am." Lestar gave us literature on how to restore our historic windows, and happily pointed out that old windows can be very energy efficient when they are properly restored. He designed the Heating/Air Conditioning Systems to cool the entire house with minimal ductwork, as there is no ductwork in place and we will be starting from scratch. These are just a few of the details that he pointed out to save us big money on this project.

I remember the first time that Lestar Martin came to SUGAR CREEK. I walked through the house with him, and I was pointing out my ideas for the renovation every time we turned a corner. Lestar finally grinned at me and said, "That's fine, but let me come up with my own design first. Then if you don't like it, we'll make changes." When he met us a week later with his vision of the restored dog-trot, I abandoned my previous thoughts entirely. And believe you me, I'm not the kind of gal that gives in easily. But Mr. Martin's ideas were brilliant, and my own ideas, however well thought out, didn't hold a candle in the wind next to his.

So without further adieu, I give you Lestar Martin's Elevation Renderings of THE HOUSE AT SUGAR CREEK. Click on the images to view a larger version of the renderings. And remember-- a brilliant historic architect is worth five times his weight in gold!

2 comments:

Cool! I can’t wait to see the finished product of the restoration. Nice sketch too. I’m particularly interested on how you will renovate the roof vents of this old structure. Vents are a very important part of the roofing since it extends the life of the roof by balancing the air and moisture. But it requires extensive knowledge to install this. Roofers have to pry up the shingles of the roof to carefully place the vent. Owners must also check it from time to time for molds and phantom leaks.

Thanks for commenting, Neil! We're putting in several different types of vents... Mr. Lester says that this is particularly important. Currently we have none! We'll be working on vents in late spring of 2013, and we'll be blogging about it as we go. Thanks for all of the great advice!

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The House at Sugar Creek

Here is our pre-renovation photo of our darling dog-trot before we begin the restoration process. Feel free to watch us transform her back to her original glory. These gorgeous old homes are disappearing at an alarming rate, and we hope to inspire you to take on a similar project of your own!

Would you consider beginning a project like this one?

What a view!

Few things in life are as relaxing as a lazy summer evening spent on a front porch listening to the whipporwhil call and the crickets chirp. The view from this upstairs window gives you a peek into the beauty of nature that we will see every single day of our life at Sugar Creek.

Unique Features

What do we love about this home? It's unique features, of course! Here is a pre-restoration picture of the rounded celilings in the upstairs bedrooms. It's just one of the dozens of touches that made us fall in love with The House at Sugar Creek.

HISTORIC PHOTOS of THE HOUSE

We've just been given copies of old family photos taken at The House at Sugar Creek! Here is a tiny sampler of things to come... we'll post them and talk more about the history of the house very soon.

Coke Bottles from the Root Cellar

It's hard to imagine what life would have been like in the eras before air conditioning and refridgerators. Food was kept in root cellars, hidden away underground where temperatures were cooler and water did not evaporate in the mid-summer sun. Dog-trots were built into the center of homes as a way to filter the breeze. Our little dog-trot is an example of both breezeways and root cellars, and we were delighted to find the original jars of preserves and old bottles still hidden away beneath the ground. Here are a few tiny pieces of our home's history that we found tucked away in the root cellar.